80 years after Nazi Germany’s surrender, antisemitism is rising worldwide, report finds
Existing policies to fight ‘tsunami’ of hate have failed, says J7 group representing Jews in the seven countries with largest Jewish populations outside Israel
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the official end of the Second World War in Europe, antisemitism has continued to skyrocket since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023, according to a report published Wednesday by the J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism.
J7 is a partnership between Jewish organizations from the seven countries with the largest Jewish populations outside of Israel: Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The report, presented in Berlin on the eve of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, when Nazi Germany formally surrendered to Allied forces on May 8, provides details of rising anti-Jewish hate in each country and calls for action from governments and societies worldwide.
The data overwhelmingly shows that “existing policies against antisemitism, and how they have been implemented, have failed to mitigate the tsunami of hate targeting Jewish individuals, communities, and institutions in the aftermath of October 7,” the report said.
The war in Gaza began after thousands of terrorists led by Hamas stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
Combating antisemitism requires a comprehensive, “whole-of-society” strategy involving all levels of government, corporations, academic institutions and civil society, J7 said, urging governments to adopt and implement the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, an international framework launched in Buenos Aires in July 2024 and endorsed by many countries.
In Argentina, antisemitic incidents rose 44% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA), which tracks antisemitic incidents on behalf of the Argentine Jewish community. Of those, 56% took place online.
Academia has become a particularly difficult environment for Jewish scholars and students, as Argentinian universities and educational spaces saw a 15% increase in anti-Israel incidents in 2023, the report said.
While the number of incidents in Argentina hasn’t reached the alarming levels seen in some other J7 countries, there is significant concern about potential delayed impacts, the report noted.
Australia has experienced a massive surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) reporting a 316% increase in antisemitic incidents in the 12 months ending September 30, 2024. This has created a widespread sense of insecurity within the Jewish community, the report said.
Many Australian Jews feel that governmental and police responses have been slow and timid, only beginning to shift after a synagogue in Melbourne was destroyed by arson in December 2024, the report noted.
In Canada, the Jewish community faces increased threats of violence against individuals and institutions, perceived institutional antisemitism in schools, and concerns that the government has a double standard in its policies towards Israel, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) reported.
While Jews account for less than 1% of Canada’s population, 19% of all hate crimes reported in 2023 were antisemitic, including violent attacks like gunfire directed at Jewish schools and arson at synagogues.
Surveys have shown that 98% of Canadian Jews say antisemitism is a serious problem, and 82% say Canada has become less safe for Jews since October 7, 2023, the report said.
In France, antisemitic acts nearly quadrupled in 2024, with 1,570 incidents recorded, or 62% of all religious hate crimes in the country, according to the Jewish organization Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF). Of these, 65% included violent aggression against people, and over 10% were physical assaults. This surge has created a climate where French Jews increasingly feel the need to hide their identity, such as by removing mezuzahs from homes or changing their names online, the report said.
Antisemitism in France increasingly targets students, with the Ministry of National Education reporting a 420% increase in antisemitic acts in schools during the 2023-2024 school year. Surveys show that 64% of the French population believes Jews have reason to fear living in France, the report noted.
In Germany, Jews are increasingly under threat since the October 7 attacks, with an antisemitic front uniting elements from across the political spectrum, according to the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Israel-related antisemitism has sharply increased in universities, the arts and culture scene, and in media portrayals of Israel, the organization said.
German police reported 3,200 antisemitic incidents from January 1 to October 7, 2024, after recording nearly 3,000 incidents, or 32 a day, in the three months following the attack of October 7, 2023.
The rise of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, classified by some states as right-wing extremist, is seen as a threat to Jewish religious life in Germany and practices like circumcision and religious slaughter, the report said. AfD insists it is supportive of the Jewish community.
In the United Kingdom, there were 3,528 antisemitic incidents reported in 2024, second only to the record set in 2023, according to the Community Security Trust (CST). Incidents included 201 cases of physical assaults, 157 instances of damage to Jewish property and 223 incidents targeting synagogues.
This, along with weekly anti-Israel marches in major cities around the UK, has created a hostile environment for Jews that the Institute of Jewish Policy Research called “ambient antisemitism.” The British government has increased funding for Jewish community security, but more is needed, the report said.
In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League found that antisemitism has become a persistent reality, as the number of antisemitic incidents broke records for the fourth year in a row. Some 9,354 incidents were reported in 2024, translating to more than one every hour, including a record 1,694 cases on college campuses.
Antisemitic attitudes are rising in the US, with nearly 24% of Americans agreeing with six or more anti-Jewish tropes, the ADL found. Surveys show that nine out of 10 American Jews believe discrimination against Jews has risen since the October 7 attack, while 83% of Jewish college students reported experiencing or witnessing antisemitism since then.
Fighting hatred on all these fronts will require a sustained effort from all parts of society, J7 concluded.
“Antisemitism is a transnational challenge and requires transnational cooperation against antisemitic hate,” the report stated. “Just as the J7 communities united to collectively fight the surge of antisemitism, concerned governments, civil society organizations and others must also do their part.”
The Times of Israel Community.